Leina gets third win of season

Leina Kim chips in from the sand trap during the second and final round of the Wolf Pack Invitational held at the Elmwood Golf Course in Pueblo, Colorado, early this week. (CSU PHOTO)

Northern Marianas Amateur Sports Association’s Female Athlete of the Year Leina Kim ruled the Wolf Pack Invitational held at the Elmwood Golf Course in Pueblo, Colorado for her third victory of the season.

Kim, who was named NMASA’s top female athlete this year, shot a 4-over par 76 in the opening round of the tournament last April 14 and a 1-under par 71 in the second and final round last April 15 for a two-day total of 3-over par 177 and a seven-stroke lead over runners-up Nathalie Gallacher (153) of Metro State and Nicole Huber (153) of Regis University.

It was a come-from-behind win for Kim, as she was down by one shot against Hubert, who carded a 3-over par 75 in the opener before firing a 78 in the final round to settle for second place. The Colorado State University-Pueblo sophomore was tied with Western New Mexico’s Arrianna Estrada in second place with her 76 in the first round, but moved up to first place at the end of the nine-team tournament after becoming the only player in the 42-golfer field to go under par in the second round.

Kim’s triumph in this week’s competition is a morale-booster after she had her lowest finish (16th) of the season in late last month’s Mustang Intercollegiate in Arizona. The reigning Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Rookie and Golfer of the Year started the season with back-to-back wins in RMAC in September and then had Top 10 finishes in her next four tournaments before struggling in Arizona.

Kim, in an earlier email to Saipan Tribune, credited her accurate driver and iron shots to her strong showings in the first six tournaments of the season and is working hard on her short game to keep her impressive performance in her second year with the ThunderWolves. The former CNMI junior golfer has the best record (588-30) among the 10 players on CSU’s roster this season.

Meanwhile, Kim’s second-round score also helped CSU rally for the team championship.

The ThunderWolves, who had four other players in the competition, were behind by three strokes against Western New Mexico after the first round, 311-314. In the second round, CSU whipped Western New Mexico, 307-320, giving the ThunderWolves a 10-stroke win, 621-631. Western New Mexico dropped to second, followed by Adams State University (637), Regis (643), Metro (644), Colorado-CO Springs (654), Chadron State College (715), and Ft. Lewis University (810). Colorado Christian University also joined the two-day event, but failed to compete in the second round after posting 322 in the first.

With Kim and company topping the Wolf Pack Invitation, momentum will be on their side when they participate in the RMAC Championships and gun for their second title in the last three seasons.